Torture Testing the Can-Am Renegade

By Lance Schwartz
Photos by Lance Schwartz & Ron Henry
Test Riders: Lance Schwartz & Chris Borich

Aggressive styling make the looks of the Can-Am Renegade equal to its impressive heart pounding adrenalin filled ride. After dismounting the 2007 Can Am Renegade 800 following my initial test ride, the first words uttered from my gaping mouth were “holy $%&!” With those words in mind, the first thought that came to my mind was, “I certainly hope that irresponsible parents aren’t going to buy this quad for their 16 year old who has never ridden a quad before.” The Can Am Renegade 800 is a serious machine that should only be put into the hands of experienced riders. The performance from its potent V-Twin matched with its 600 pound carcass is a lethal combination that could make this machine very dangerous for the inexperienced rider. However, for those enthusiasts who are skilled in the art of ATV thrashing, this machine has a fun factor that is off the charts! Every stab of the throttle induces a smile that makes it easy to forget you’re actually riding on a 4×4!

In recent years, Kawasaki has been the manufacturer notorious for building ferocious V-Twins. At 62 horsepower, the Rotax powered Renegade will positively smoke any other four wheel drive ATV on the market. We had professional ATV racers Jason “Dunk” Dunkelberger and Chris Borich ride the machine as well, and their initial comments after their first ride were pretty much the same as mine. By that, I mean they were filled with colorful expletives followed by descriptive adjectives! The Rotax develops power down low in the RPM range and it never seems to fall off. In my opinion, the power from this Rotax is far superior to the carbureted V-twins made famous by Kawasaki.

One recommendation we will be making to Can Am is that the Renegade should also come with a bar of soap as standard equipment. That way, after every ride, your mommy can wash your mouth out with that soap as punishment for spewing an endless litany of profanity about the performance this 4×4 should probably not be capable of having.

Engine/Transmission:
V Twin Fuel Injected and weighing in at 800cc means you better have this quad pointed in the right direction when you pull the thumb throttle trigger. Rotax is to Can-Am what cupcakes are to Artie Lange! Unfortunately, cupcakes have transformed Howard Stern’s buddy Artie into a blob over the last few years. Fortunately for us, the Rotax engine does the exact opposite for the Renegade. That engine puts the Renegade into a category all its own. Without the phenomenal engine, the Renegade would likely not be as enticing to potential owners. With the standard fuel injection, the Renegade fired easily whether it was 10 degrees or 80 degrees. The CVT transmission does an awesome job of keeping the monster twin in its sweet spot no matter what the RPM is. The clutching is aggressive, which causes the engine to go from growl to scream instantly. I see that as a good thing. RPM’s are synonymous with horsepower, and the Renegade is not lacking in either department.

Suspension & Handling
I really like the rear suspension on the Renegade. On my first ride, I came up way too fast on a set of whoops that I thought were going to send me over the bars as the rear-end made contact. But, to my surprise, the rear shocks completely soaked the bumps up. They take hard hits well while also not beating the rider up on slower trails. On the other hand, the front shocks seem a little harsh in the woods, but still bottom off big hits. If you ride it like a normal human being, you shouldn’t have any issues. But if you push it like the crew at ATV Scene, the front shocks will protest long before the rears.

U

p front the Renegade’s RS-Type double A-arm allows a long travel high pressure gas shock, while the Visco-Lok differential transfers power from a spinning wheel to the one with more grip- a Can-Am exclusive.

In the rear Can-Am utilizes a meaty high pressure gas shock mounted to their RS-Type TTI independent rear suspension. Can-Am says their simple independent rear suspension design uses almost 75% fewer part than competitive models.

The handling was a little off for my taste. I think the Renegade provides a little too much feedback through the bars and the front end tends to push at low speeds. On many instances, I found myself having to back up because the front tires pushed the front end too wide in the tight stuff. With a machine that accelerates this quickly, crisp handling is a must. On some of my outings, bigger rocks have easily yanked the bars out of my hands. I think with a steering stabilizer, my confidence level to ride the Renegade fast would increase exponentially. Some of those same rocks also punctured several of the stock ITP Holeshot ATR’s and turned the sweet looking stock aluminum wheels into very wobbly Fred Flintstone look-a-likes. As a suggestion, we’d love to see Can-Am try a different wheel/tire package. They look nice, but they fall short in performance and durability. Keep in mind, I’m being very critical of this machine partly because there is nothing else quite like it to compare to. The Renegade will get you through the woods quicker than any other utility quad. But, since it is also part sport quad, I find myself longing for more sporty handling characteristics.

Issues/Complaints:
My biggest complaint is the lack of engine protection on a quad that costs $9299. Can Am has taken an out-of-the-box approach to designing all of their quads with the SST frame technology they call their own. What the frame makes up for in ingenuity, it squanders in engine protection. The very expensive engine hangs vulnerably outside of the SST frame within easy reach of a rock or stump trying to destroy it. It seems illogical that the thought to better protect the engine on this very expensive quad never came to mind. The problem can be fixed easily by adding an aftermarket aluminum skidplate. But, for a price tag that exceeds nine grand, it should be part of the deal.

I’m also not a huge fan of the single lever braking. Granted, the brakes are great and they will throw you through the windshield with very little lever effort. But, as a racer, I’d appreciate the ability to be able to brake the front wheels separately from the rear. It looks like Can-Am has addressed this with separate braking for ’08!

If you plan on running your Renegade through water crossings, be prepared for the belt to slip. We took our Renegade swimming several times, and each time the belt slipped within a short amount of time. Splashing water easily enters the transmission vent and makes its way onto the belt. The good news is, the problem is easy to overcome. Just throw the Renegade in neutral, give the thumb throttle a little workout, and the revolution of the spinning clutches quickly dries the belt out.

We had a very strange issue occur shortly after taking delivery of our Renegade 800. After about an hour of screaming through 18 inches of snow with my thumb on the throttle stop for most of that time, I noticed oil on the garage floor when I put it to sleep for the night. After further exploration, I noticed the airbox had at least a quart of oil inside it and that same quart of oil was missing from the crankcase. There is a breather hose that goes from the crankcase to the airbox and we’re assuming that’s the path the oil took. But, unfortunately, I can’t tell you why? We’ve put another 350 miles or so on the machine since this issue and the problem hasn’t reappeared.

The only other issue we’ve had with our long-term unit strikes me as a bit more serious. With just shy of 400 miles on our Renegade, the left floorboard mount has developed a crack on the weld attaching it to the main frame rail. Our machine was definitely ridden hard, but certainly no harder than any other machine we’ve ever long-term tested. A fifteen second date with a MIG welder is all we’ll need to easily fix the problem. However, we don’t feel our Renegade endured nearly enough abused for the frame to crack so easily.

So, is it a Ute or a Sport Quad?
With 800cc, 62 horse, fuel injection and 10 inches of travel, yes, Can-Am’s Renegade is just as fast as it looks in this photo. The million-dollar question seems to be, “what category does this quad fit into”? After riding it for nearly 400 miles, I’m still not 100% positive. The Renegade is surely utilitarian. With its four-wheel drive, Visco-Lok front differential, and low range, you can take this machine just about anywhere. I’ve slammed it through two-foot snowdrifts and climbed nearly vertical wooded trails. Keep it in 4×4, and it climbs like a utility quad. Forget to put it in 4×4, and it climbs like a sport quad dragging a 250-pound trailer! I think it would be very easy to attach a plow or a winch and do some light utility work. But, I’m confident if you’re trying to convince your wife you “need” the Renegade to do work on the farm, she’ll know very soon after your purchase that you are full of crap! If work is in the cards for you, Can-Am’s family of Outlanders will make a much better full-bore utility quad than the Renegade while still being a blast to ride!

After taking our Renegade to Rausch Creek and putting in some hot laps on the MX track, I found out it’s not a true sport ATV either. In fairness, this is the only 4×4 I’ve ever done a set of double-doubles with. It had the power and speed to build enough momentum to pull this off safely and the landings were very plush. But, take it off of some more aggressive jumps or flat land it and you are soon reminded that you’re trying to MX a 600-pound 4×4. Take it easy on the MX course and you’ll never have a complaint. Push your luck and you might just find out why most MX machines are designed to be 250 pounds lighter! Reason: They do less damage when they land on top of you!

So, what’s the bottom line?
I like a lot of things about the Can-Am Renegade 800. It’s fun to ride, gives you the convenience of four-wheel drive, and the performance is blistering. When you fire up the engine and listen to the BLUB-BLUB-BLUB of the menacing 800cc V-twin, the sound is absolutely intoxicating. Also, the stock lighting system is killer! We spent a lot of time in the woods at night simply because the lights worked so well. Since we believe in telling it like it is, there are also a few places where I feel the Renegade falls short, mainly in front suspension, one-lever braking, and in wheels/tire choice.

I think the most challenging part of this evaluation was the fact that I was never really sure what to compare the Renegade to without being too critical or too forgiving in my judgments. Simply put, it’s a weird machine. Not a bad weird like the kid that eats boogers, your uncle that farts at the dinner table, or Michael Jackson. Instead, it’s a good weird, like SPAM, Marilyn Manson, and the duck-billed platypus. For those of you that I just roosted with that analogy, it’s definitely a machine that exists in a class all by itself. I’ve called it a “Polaris Scrambler on Crack” in the past. We could argue the validity of that statement in many ways, but it’s the closest comparison I can think of.

If you are an experienced ATV enthusiast with nine grand for a new machine in your pocket, but you have no idea if you want to ride a utility machine or a sport machine, the Can-Am Renegade 800 may very well be the perfect machine for you. After some of the first year bugs are worked out and the aftermarket catches up with more bolt-ons and performance mods, I’m sure Can-Am dealerships will have no problems rolling these out the door. Whether you are a fan or not of Can-Am, you have to take your hats off to them for thinking outside the box and bringing a machine to the market that many manufacturers would never think of offering. What will those crazy Canadians think of next? I guess we’ll have to wait and see, eh!

 

then…	and now.

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